National Party MP for Whanganui Chester Borrows has been charged with careless use of a motor vehicle causing injury to two people after an incident at an anti-TPP protest.

Police investigated a complaint about an incident in March this year, as Mr Borrows and Minister Paula Bennett left a breakfast meeting in Whanganui.

Mr Borrows' first court appearance is on Tuesday 2 August in the Whanganui District Court.

The case is now before the court, so commenting further on it is inappropriate. As for the police, I'm wondering what's changed: have they finally decided that the law applies even to those who set their budget, or have they decided that Borrows is politically insignificant and therefore can be prosecuted without threatening it? The prosecution decision on this will be fascinating to read, but obviously won't be released until after the trial process is concluded.